The Government of Canada has made the decision to limit the number of international students allowed into the country by half for the next two years. They have cited the strain that such a large number of temporary residents have had on the housing system as the primary cause.

Housing is a major concern for nearly everyone in London and certainly most students, but when I think of reasons that housing is unaffordable, I can’t say that 10 students living in a house is really the issue that comes to mind.

But let’s say they are right. For just a moment, let’s pretend that this change would make a staggering impact on our housing market and make living affordable for all. Would that make this right? No, it would not.

Changes to our system, or even a cap of some kind, would not have necessarily been wrong. The main issue that I see is that this was put into action with far too little warning for both students and schools.

Does the government have a fraction of an idea how much planning goes into this process for so many of these students? For many, studying in Canada is a process that takes years of preparation.

First off, Canada requires $20,000 in the bank just to apply and even after that, the work is far from over. Have you ever tried to learn a language past the jumbled mess of gibberish that was the result of years of French classes?

International students saved and planned for years, learned a whole new language, and left all of their friends and family to pursue a better life, and we said, “Too bad. It is not our problem that we spent years boasting globally about how great our international studies programs were right? It is not our fault that we pretend to be this all-accepting nation of pure love and hope, right?” Make no mistake, we have ruined lives with this decision.

Do not think the government only lied to foreigners either. They have been talking for years about their respect for all post-secondary education. They have funded campaigns supporting respect for the trades and begged every high school to send kids into them.

Surely, international students looking to fill the needs of our country would be the first chosen right? Guess again, because unless you are pursuing education at the level of a master’s degree or higher, you are not even allowed to bring your family. That includes students studying to be nurses, many of which already are certified in their countries.

They have made it clear who they view as worthy of investing in, and it is just as pathetically ignorant as you would expect. Right now, we need nurses, construction workers, and electricians far more than we need philosophy majors.

Again, I understand that a change was necessary. If a cap of some kind was needed, then so be it, but do not tell them when they are already preparing their applications with years of savings in the bank.

A close friend told me about his experience entering Canada for the first time. He walked into Pearson Airport, crowds bustling about noisily, and he saw posters advertising Canada as a place where multiculturalism was the focal point of society.

He told me that he felt at home here as soon as he landed. He has family that was planning to apply next year, but now, it would just be a waste of their money to apply. He looked at me with grief in his eyes as he spoke about the lies on those posters.

We told them that we valued diversity and wanted them to come. We let them dedicate years of their lives to building the foundation to pursue change. We bragged about our streamlined system for permanent residency and then we stabbed them in the back.

We were all talk, no empathy.